Sky hunches over, breathing heavily; a puddle of sweat surrounds her as she tries to catch her breath. Her comrades were also exhausted, Aaron was sitting on the ground with his hands behind him as his support, Pearl was on one knee breathing heavy as well, and Austin was lying on the ground, wiping the sweat that trickled down near his eyes. The match was over, and they had just won quite convincingly by the knockout victory in Rainmaker on Hammerhead Bridge playing as the lime team against the purple team.

They returned to the plaza to take a break, instead being welcomed to the audience that had been observing; this audience was the same as yesterday's, but even larger inn thanks to the incredible shootout from yesterday. Yesterday, The Elites and Squidops met each other by chance and immediately had a duel; this duel saw both teams going into regular battle, which ended in a fierce 3-3 draw as both teams exchanged powerful blows with the other in each match. The ferocity of stand-outs like Sky, Aaron, and Carbon grabbed the attention of those of were anywhere near a tv monitor in the plaza, and thus a following has formed. Many returned expecting to see both teams return and settle the showdown with the most important match in local communities: a ranked match.

The Elites had been expecting to see the Squidops, knowing a team of that kind of pride wouldn't dare miss the chance to send a message to a tough opponent, but to their dismay, the Squidops never showed up; this lead to the Elites playing their frustrations out, demolishing one team after the other in every type of event.

"They've been unstoppable…" said one person.

"I guess the Squidops lit a fire under them…" said another.

Overall, they were the favorites for the upcoming winter tournament given that they were the top seed, yet it wasn't a secure spot; that was the true reason why they were trying so hard. Even though it was just some local pick-up games, for the Elites, this was to be treated like the real deal competition that was ahead in a few days. Sky dragged herself to a bench to sit down and take a rest when she spotted an inkling with whiteish gold hair that was combed over to the left, wearing a white shirt with gold writing on it and white glasses to go with his white shoes; Sky knew immediately that he was foreigner, since no one in the country would dress in such a posh setup-not even the flounder heights people. She kept her eyes on him, watching him ask people for directions, then seeing him go over to the battle station with his eyes directed towards Aaron and the others. Sky gets up to see what's he after; as she's walking she heard in the crowd that he's a famous inkling from the nation of Tropicanos, a western island nation close by Squirabia. Apparently he was a first year student at Tres Isla High School, the most prominent school on that island-he was dubbed the "New Hope" because his talents were reminiscent of some of the best shooters in the sport's history.

He approached Aaron confidently looking down at the captain that was taking a rest, "Ah, you must be the popular Aaron? Leader of the Elites?" he said in a posh tone with his hands behind his back.

Aaron glared-already disliking his presence, "Speaking…what business do you have with me?"

He laughed, "My, aren't you an aggressive one…"-he smiled politely at first, but then the façade faded once he realized that Aaron wasn't the kind of man to be deceived- "You're the first seed in the upcoming winter tournament?"

"Yeah, whatsitoya?" Aaron responded showing his teeth.

"Well, I'm in town to watch your performance. Many of the other countries are watching to see what your country has to produce for the grand tournament in the upcoming summer…"

Aaron crossed his arms, "The year's not over yet, so don't go mentioning an event like that so early. It's bad luck."

Sky came over, suspicious of the foreigner; the foreigner caught a glimpse of Sky out the corner of his eyes and immediately became infatuated by her looks. He halts his conversation with Aaron and grabs Sky's hand, giving a gentle kiss; Sky froze from shock by his bold action. "My, what a beautiful rose I've found in the garden of Inkopolis…you've captured my heart…might this be love at first sight?"

Sky pulled her hand away abruptly, "I prefer you keep a distance you creep…"-seeing fire in Aaron's eyes from the corner of her sight; she gave him a long understanding look, letting him know she'd take care of this guy- "You…who are you?"

The guy smirked, "You can call me Siot. I'm known as the New Hope of Tres Isla…I had heard plenty rumors about some rising stars in this region of Inkland, but to be honest, you people weren't the ones I'm looking for."

Sky seems a little irritated by his comment, "Oh really? And exactly who are you looking for that you'd travel such distance?"

Siot's smirk widened, "A blue haired boy by the name of Azule…"-Sky's face tightened, to which Siot noticed that she must have some connection to him- "have you seen such a man? Your face tells me so…"

Sky's demeanor changed, her face was serious, her eyes sharpened, and she allowed her Agent side to run rampant upon hearing her brother's name mentioned by some suspicious creepy stranger. She stared at him viciously, "What business do you have with my brother…"

Siot laughed, "My, you're a scary one. I guess I came across suspicious for you to have such a scary face that. So, my hunch was right after all…judging by your reaction and the Sky-blue hair, I'd say you must be Sky Royale."

Sky nodded-still serious, "You still haven't given you reason why you're looking for my brother."

"Whoa, no need to be so aggressive and defensive; I saw your brother's performance at the fall festival where he competed in that fighting tournament. His stellar strength intrigued me, and so, I request that I have a sparring match with him along with an exhibition match since we both play the same sport."

Sky closed her eyes and crossed her arms, "He's out of town right now. I don't know when he'll be back."

"Is that so? Then relay this message to him from me: I request an exhibition match some time before the next major tournament that you people will be doing over here…so he'll have until the early spring. I'll discuss more details once we meet each other…"-he looks at his watch- "I guess I'll be in town for a little while longer, so I'll stick around to watch your team perform."

Sky narrowed her eyes, "You want to watch us play?"

"Yes, I heard from the audiences here that your team has been in a heated rivalry with a fellow team here? I hear both of you are quite strong teams…I'd like to see it for myself."

Aaron came forward with a sharp glint in his eye, "If you're planning to prepare for a counterattack against us at Nats then you've got another thing comin'!" he said passionately in his countryside accent; Sky smiled and giggled, having not heard that side from Aaron in so long. Siot seemed satisified with Aaron's response, sensing the Elites emotions-he had heard about the showdown and recognized that the Elites took it personal; Siot nodded, apologizing for being rude, preferring to let them return their focus to their rivals.

Around that same time, the chatter in the crowds grew as the Squidops made their appearance-wearing All Black clothing; this was message the Squidops sent to let their opponents know that their death was approaching in a match. The Elites' guard rose, all four stood up high and solid-spoiling for a fight; the Squidops were likewise, wanting to humiliate the Elites in public as revenge. The plaza got more crowded as people took out their phones to record the confrontation between the two teams. It was about to get heated as Carbon and Aaron stared each other down with static growing between them; this was a rivalry that was bearing fruit: the third best and recognized team in the country facing off against the dark horses that captivates the hearts of everyone that witnesses their play-it's Squidops vs. the Elites: part 3!

"To think we'd really get treated to a third showdown!" one person in the crowd said excitingly.

"The first round went to the Elites back at the prelims and the second round ended in a 3-3 draw…maybe the third will be Squidops?" another person said; the commotion grew as both teams headed to the battle station to prepare for the match.

Carbon tilts his head up and put his hands in his pockets, "Ready to take your loss today?"

Aaron-as serious as ever, "I'll crush that confidence of yours."

Sky got between them and got in Carbon's face, "Don't think you're only one who's going all-out…"-she turned to Austin and Pearl- "We've been playing our hearts out this entire day, expecting your arrival."-her eyes went icy as she peered at Carbon, giving him a death stare- "I hope you patched your wounds from before, because this time you'll be bleeding in defeat if you're not careful."

Carbon was unfazed by Sky's comments, "I'd expect rhetoric like that from the revered Agent 5."

Nachtia and Ciel panicked-not wanting Sky's agent affairs to get leaked, "Carbon…!?"

Kuro stepped in, "Captain…we should keep our personal business out of this; we're in public, remember that."

Carbon waved his hand, "It's fine! The country knows about her position as Agent 5, she's the new face of that division. 1 and 2 obviously can't reveal themselves and 3 and 4 are nowhere to be found. Hey, aren't your parents 3 and 4?"

Sky became silent, looking down at the floor, balling her hand in a fist; Carbon knew about her history, and he knew exactly what make even the most composed member of the Elites lose it. He smirked, feeling Sky's rage- "your parents left you in some orphanage, right? I remember hearing about it…"-Sky's horrific memories came rushing back; tears began to trickle down her cheek as she covered her face.

Pearl put her arm around Sky and took over, "Hey Carbon, that's pretty low of you to go there; you know that's a dark area to never enter with her."

Carbon laughed, "And? You guys mean nothing to me other than a tool needed to further my skills. I'll stomp you here and ascend up the ladder."

Aaron had to hold himself back and save his anger for the match, but anytime he saw Sky outside of her composed element, it ached. He understood most of Sky's struggles and watched her mold herself into a person who could handle anything because of her past; but whenever the orphanage got bought up, especially by fellow colleagues who were aware of it, it wrecked Sky.

Aaron stood tall and grabbed Carbon by the arm-the boys locked eyes, "I'll make you pay!"

"I dare you to." Carbon yanked his arm out of Aaron's grip.

"I'm very sorry for our captain's actions…" Kuro and Nachtia apologized as Ciel shooed everyone away; many people were fussing over Sky's sudden change in behavior.

Aaron looked at Pearl, Pearl at Austin, and Austin at Sky; Sky wiped her tears away, taking a deep breath to calm down. Her composure returned, her eyes were at their coldest, her breathing barely present-finally she was in battle mode, a mode where whenever she enters it, she's unstoppable. Sky looked at her worrying teammates, understanding their feelings, then giving them the "OK" sign. They nodded, knowing exactly what the modus operandi would be for this fiery showdown.

We'll show them what happens when they make a predator bare its fangs…

The venue that'd serve as the setting for this final match between these rivals would be none other than Mahi-Mahi Resort on ranked mode; both sides were stacked with talent with each side possessing S rank and A ranks. The audience buzzed as their player cards got displayed on the giant monitors all over the plaza; Aaron, Carbon, and Sky were the S ranks that everyone had their eyes on. After a few minutes had passed by, they spawned into their zones, and already there was heavy pressure within the map-filled with dead silence as the countdown came on; The mode for which this ranked battle would be was Splat Zones.

The audience became jittery as they waited for the match to go underway, seeing both teams spawn to their locations; Squidops would start in the southeast while the Elites start in the northwest. Sky closed her eyes filtering all the sounds around her: the seagulls chirping, the splashing of children in the nearby pools, the white noise of everything else; The countdown began shortly after:3…2…1…GO! Sky's eyes opened wide as she shot out the spawn like an inkling possessed-on a mission to send a message, to Squidops, and to Siot.